Thursday, December 16, 2010

Talkin' Tea

For as long as I can remember, I've been a tea drinker. I recall first really getting into tea drinking while first dating my husband when we were 16 and 17 years old. We went out to dinner or lunch (can't remember which) with his Grandma Charlotte and Grandpa Ron (whom is of Brittish decent). Rob ordered a hot tea with cream and sugar and I went ahead and did the same. He showed me how he liked his tea and I slowly became accustomed to drinking it with cream. Yum! Anywho, throughout my life of living in the southern state of Florida, we've always drank cold, sweet tea. There are many different brands and kinds of tea, but I thought I'd share what kind we drink and why.

First and foremost, if you're going to drink tea (or coffee for that matter), you need to know that organic is safe and best. Tea and coffee derive from leaves and berries from trees and because teas and coffees are in SUCH high demand all around the world, MANY pesticides are used in the process of growing them. One of the brands we've grown to like is Frontier...

I like to use their spices and most of all, their teas. I purchase our tea leaves from the healthfood store and I get our tea in bulk, so there's no payment for packaging, labels and all the "little extras" companies have to factor in. I can purchase the exact amount I need by getting it myself, weighing it on the scale and I can mix and match. ;) Then, when we're at home, this is how we brew...

I fill a small pot with filtered water and place a small-holed strainer into the water. Then I pour approx. 1/4 cup of tea leaves (or a little less works just fine) into the pot and turn the stove top to boil.

Cover the pot and let simmer for a few minutes until you know the water is hot enough for the tea leaves to be soaking in the water. Then, turn your stove off. Let your leaves soak for as long as you want. The longer they soak, the stronger the taste. Remove your strainer full of leaves and add it to your compost pile (smile). If you want your tea to be sweet, add 1 cup (or less) of turbinado or organic sugar (don't use white, it's bleached). Stir in your sugar as it will "melt" into the tea because it is hot in temperature.

When it has cooled somewhat, you can pour your tea into a jug. We go back and forth between an old apple cider jug and our raw milk jugs..both are glass and safe for using hot liquids in (when hot liquids are added to plastic, the harmful chemicals are then seeping into your liquid). Then, add enough water to fill it to the top. Put your tea jug/pitcher into the fridge and let it cool just in time for supper. I've seen people prepare green teas this way as well, even sweetening it like a black tea. Both are delicious, but we personally don't drink green tea because it doesn't agree with our systems. :)

How do YOU drink your tea?

Here's a little "ditty" about the water that we drink and what kinds of water you should use (like in your teas...:)

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Join us as our family is constantly being pruned by our Heavenly Father(John 15)to get rid of that which hinders us from growing closer to Him and replaces that pruning with spiritual fruit. We have six, amazing, little arrows, so far(Psalm 127:4)in which we were given "on loan" by God, privileged to raise, home educate(Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Deut. 4:9-10)and make little disciples of (John 1; Mark 1, 3; John 15).We are a tight-knit family, passionate about adoption and foster care, and run a small, 5-acre farm in Florida called Vine Living Farm where we milk cows, raise chickens for meat and eggs as well as ducks, turkeys and rabbits, breed Bernese Mountain dog puppies, and grow fruit, herbs and veggies, stewarding God's creation for His glory(1 Corinthians 10:31). Join us on our adventure!

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Why We Homeschool (click image)

Avonlea Charlotte - 11

Avy is our oldest. She has a compassionate heart, loves cooking, baking, sewing, riding horses, caring for her rabbits, learning just about anything new, lovin' on babies and little ones and wants to be a mother someday. She truly loves the Lord and is such a thoughful person, always putting others above herself. She's my right-hand-lady!

LINCOLN COLE - 9

"Linc" is our second born and our most social child. He can hold a conversation with anyone, any age. He loves math, science and enjoys helping Daddy with projects around the farm. He's our Muscle Man and enjoys assembling things. I love listening to this boy pray!

NORAH CLAIRE - 7

Norah is my little firecracker! God is going to do amazing things with her. She has the passion of her mama {grin}. She loves to draw and paint, looks up to her big sister, loves anything pink, but can hold her own with her brothers.

ISAAC CALE - 5

Isaac is our fourth child and he loves to climb trees, swing from vines, "hunt" for squirrels with big brother, bird watch and is "all boy". His name means "laughter" and he lives up to that name for sure. He is a big snuggler!

Titus "Ty" Calvin - 4

Titus likes to keep our lives interesting! He loves bugs, reptiles and any animal, really. Our only blond child, he loves to dance and learn alongside his big brothers and sisters.

Our Homeschool "Style"

I would describe our homeschool style as "life learners", although some would label it "unschooling". We are constantly learning with each day and situations God gives us and when we are doing more formal learning, we are notebooking or following a natural approach of learning through Charlotte Mason methods. Our largest emphasis is on teaching from the Bible, training our children to love Jesus, modeling how to ABIDE in Him and become His disciples. The best part is that I get to learn alongside my children! I wouldn't trade it for the world, yes, even on the harder days.